Press Room

Contact:
Rich Avanzino, President,
Maddie’s Fund
(510) 337-8979

ADOPTIONS IN UTAH UP 31%;
DEATHS OF HEALTHY PETS DOWN 38%

Second Year Results Are in for Utah’s No More Homeless Pets

(Alameda, CA – October 2002). Results from year two of No More Homeless Pets in Utah are in, and the numbers clearly show the project is on track to meet its target.

The goal of the state-wide coalition of no-kill organizations, traditional humane societies, animal control agencies and veterinarians is to save all of Utah’s healthy, adoptable shelter dogs and cats by 2005. The coalition is gauging progress towards its five year goal by monitoring three benchmarks of achievement:

Adoptions: Over the past two years, adoptions statewide have gone up a whopping 31%. In the baseline year of 1999, 19,117 cats and dogs found loving new homes in Utah. In the project’s first year, 24,009 animals were placed in new homes, a total of 4,892 more than the year before. Last year, the number increased to 25,088, or an additional 5,971 adoptions. Over a two year period, an additional 10,863 canines and felines have found loving new families to care for them.

Shelter deaths: Deaths of healthy, shelter dogs and cats have declined by 38% since 1999. In that year, 42 healthy animals died each day in Utah shelters. Today, that number is 26. The goal by 2005 is zero.

Shelter deaths of animals in all categories statewide have declined 11% over the past two years. In 1999, 45,842 dogs and cats lost their lives in Utah shelters. In the project’s first year, euthanasias declined to 41,371 or 4,471 fewer deaths. Last year the number dropped to 40,568, or 5,274 fewer deaths. Over a two year period, 9,745 fewer lives have been lost in Utah’s animal shelters.

Spay/Neuter: Over the past two years, an additional 18,868 cats and dogs have been spayed and neutered through a new voucher program with private practice veterinarians.

No More Homeless Pets in Utah is underwritten by a five year grant from Maddie’s Fund. In the first two years, Maddies Fund has awarded $3.1 million to the project.

For a detailed report on the second year of No More Homeless Pets in Utah, read more ».


Maddie’s FundSM The Pet Rescue Foundation is a family foundation endowed through the generosity of Cheryl and Dave Duffield, PeopleSoft Founder and Board Chairman. The foundation is helping to fund the creation of a no-kill nation. The first step is to help create programs that guarantee loving homes for all adoptable (healthy) shelter dogs and cats throughout the country. The next step will be to save the sick and injured pets in animal shelters nationwide. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.

"I see myself more as a peacemaker than as a leader. One of my proudest achievements was pulling animal control into the Humane Federation. When that happened, I knew we could all work together and get things done," says Fridley. (The Humane Federation also includes the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.)

Lynne has worked in the animal sheltering business since 1979, first as the Shelter Manager at the Shelby County Humane Society in Columbiana, Alabama and then as the Chilton County Humane Society E.D., running the county’s animal control program.

Fridley’s accomplishments in animal welfare have been recognized with an impressive array of awards: Alabama Animal Control Administrator of the Year (1996); the Alabama Humane Federation Award; an HSUS Award for Devoted and Continuing Efforts for the Betterment of Animals in the State of Alabama (2001); the Alabama Animal Control Association Award and the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association Layman of the Year Award (2001).

"When I first came to Chilton County seventeen years ago, the animals were housed in an old, leaky Quonset hut from World War II. It took us a few years, but we built a brand new shelter, most of it with our own hands. We also started a low-cost spay/neuter program. That's why I was so high on Maddie's Big Fix. I knew from personal experience that spay/neuter programs work."

In fact, Lynne led the campaign to bring Maddie’s Big Fix to Alabama. Her first job was to get “buy-in” from all Humane Federation members. The next step was to coax every traditional animal shelter, animal control agency and no-kill organization in the state to send in the required Maddie’s Fund statistics. Then it was a matter of putting together the initial application.

With the completion of a very successful first year of Maddie’s Big Fix, Maddie’s Fund offered Lynne a full time job. At first, her reaction was mixed. "I consider Chilton County Humane my first love. On the other hand, I was excited by the thought of helping other groups around the state accomplish their life-saving goals."

And already Lynne has logged more than 5,000 miles on Alabama's highways and back roads, visiting towns and villages she never knew existed. "Every place I go, people are getting fired up. My enthusiasm is catchy and people are willing to follow and believe along with me in the Maddie’s Fund vision and goals. One shelter director was a naysayer at first. Now he sounds like me talking!”

Lynne Fridley has no doubt that the Maddie’s Fund plan will work. “We're going to prove to the rest of the South that Alabama's going to reach these goals and make it obvious that if they work together, they can do the same thing."